RIM PlayBook may run Android apps

YouTube video stokes speculation that tablet device will support Android apps

The PlayBook, the forthcoming tablet device from BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM), will support Android apps, judging by a video on YouTube that was filmed at the recent Mobile World Congress.

With tablets beginning to move into the enterprise, and market share still up for grabs, this will broaden the tablet's appeal and make it a stronger competitor to the iPad for business users.

That RIM is prepared to use Google's technology in this way is testament to Android's strength in the apps market.

The video appears to show a RIM employee demonstrating a PlayBook. "It will support Android apps," he says.

Although the device will not run the Android OS, it is thought that it will run the open-source Dalvik engine, a tool to allow the operation of a virtual machine on top of an operating system. Dalvik is an integral part of Android.

Such a capability could make the PlayBook a far more enticing proposition both for the consumer and the enterprise, as it would give the device access to the many thousands of apps created so far for Android.

Competitor Apple is expected to launch the new iPad 2 on 2 March.